How Charlotte parents are tackling the summer child care puzzle

What they're saying: "Get out of your text messages, get out of spreadsheets, and put [schedules] in one platform where they can be shared easily," Spivey says. Both she and Petrik are balancing this with their careers. Spivey runs an executive coaching and career development business called Career Outfitters and Petrik works for Bank of America.

The latest: Summer Sanity was selected as an NC Idea Mico Grant recipient last month. The duo will use the $10,000 grant to focus on tech development, Spivey tells Axios.

Context: What started as a spreadsheet with a handful of families in 2021 grew into a spreadsheet with more than 40 people, and ultimately turned into a standalone platform where people could coordinate their summer schedules.

• Petrik and Spivey, who met at day care, set out to create a user-friendly calendar that allowed you to connect with your people without the mayhem of a group chat.
• The platform soft-launched last summer with more than 100 users. It officially launched in January and now has around 600 users.

How it works: Summer Sanity, which is web-based only, is free to use for parents and guardians. You can create your calendar in the tool and then connect with fellow users to see their schedules.

• In terms of functionality, you can use the platform year-round, Spivey says.
• While roughly 85% of users are located in the Charlotte metro, anyone can use it regardless of their location. Charleston and Raleigh are their next biggest markets. Users span England, New York and Texas.

The big picture: While the platform is free for families, it does include a camp directory. It currently costs $250 for a camp to be listed.

What's next: The last day of school for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is June 10.